Gameday Blog: Bruins vs. Jets

SECOND INTERMISSION

SCORE
WPG – 2
BOS – 2

SHOTS
WPG – 26
BOS – 26

After a high-flying middle frame, the Bruins will take a 3-2
lead into the third over Winnipeg.

Chris Kelly’s alertness and strong effort led to the tying
tally with 7:28 gone in the period. With Boston on the PK, Rich
Peverley got in alone on Pavelec and pushed the puck towards the
Jets’ netminder. The puck remained in the crease, Kelly
rushed in and pounced and buried it into the back of the net.

After the goal, Dustin Byfuglien could’ve easily earned
himself an unsportsmanlike conduct call, as he knocked Kelly to the
ice after the play was over. Nothing was called.

With 13:32 gone, Alex Burmistrov went off for boarding Zdeno
Chara in Boston’s zone.

Boston didn’t capitalize, but less than a minute after the
PP expired, it was Kelly to the rescue again. Benoit Pouliot made a
great cross-zone feed to the center, who one-timed a shot past
Pavelec to give the B’s a 3-2 lead.

With 1:49 remaining, Eric Fehr was guilty of hooking Patrice
Bergeron. The two teams gathered after the whistle and Fehr was
given an unsportsmanlike penalty. The Bruins will begin the third
with 2:11 of PP time.

FIRST INTERMISSION

SCORE
WPG – 2
BOS – 1

SHOTS
WPG – 12
BOS – 15

Twenty minutes in the books here at the Garden where the Jets
lead Boston 2-1.

After a sluggish start by both teams, Winnipeg tallied twice in
the span of 39 seconds.

Blake Wheeler sent the puck up to Dustin Byfuglien, who skated
in and found an open Evander Kane. Kane stick-handles around Tim
Thomas and tucked one in to put the Jets up 1-0.

With 9:50 left in the period, a slapper from Byfuglien sailed
through traffic and beat Thomas clean to make it 2-0.

After the ever-busy Byfuglien went to the box for interfering
with Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins capitalized on a power play with
less than four minutes remaining, as Zdeno Chara’s blast from
the point beat Ondrej Pavelec to make it 2-1.

The B’s went on the man advantage again Zach Bogosian was
whistled for interference with 1:37 left, but a holding penalty on
Joe Corvo negated the power play.

After firing three shots on goal in the first 91 seconds, Boston
went nearly ten minutes on the nose without putting a puck on
net.

PREGAME NOTES

Here are tonight’s pregame notes (courtesy of the Boston
Bruins):

STARTING GOALTENDERS: Thomas (10-4-0, 1.85 GAA, .936 Save %)
vs.
Pavelec (7-7-4, 3.21 GAA, .898 Save %). Thomas is 6-3-0 with a 2.86
GAA
and .904 Save % in 12 career games against Winnipeg. Pavelec is
2-3-1
with a 3.74 GAA and .895 Save % in eight career games against
the
Bruins.

CLOSING IN ON 100: The Bruins enter tonight’s game having
sold out
their last 98 consecutive home games at the TD Garden, including
regular
season and playoffs.

NOTABLE STREAKS: The Bruins have taken points in their last 11
games
going 10-0-1 and have outscored their opponents 49-20 during
this
stretch… Boston has defeated the Winnipeg franchise in eight
straight
contests… Tim Thomas has won his last seven starts with his
last loss
coming on October 27… Winnipeg’s Andrew Ladd is on a
five-game point
streak tallying 4-3=7 totals. His last goal, scored on Nov. 25 in a
3-1
win at Carolina was his 100th NHL goal…Bryan Little is on a
five-game
point streak recording 4-2=6 totals.

GAMES PLAYED MILESTONES: Milan Lucic will be playing in his
300th
career NHL game tonight while Benoit Pouliot is expected to play in
his
200th. For Winnipeg, forward Nik Antropov is playing in his 700th
career
game.

TONIGHT’S CONNECTIONS: Rich Peverley played 180 games with
the
Thrashers from 2009-11 registering 49-75=124 totals before being
traded
to Boston on February 18, 2011 with Boris Valabik for Mark Stuart
and
Blake Wheeler… Stuart was drafted by Boston 21st overall in
the 2003 NHL
Entry Draft and tallied 13-27=40 totals over 283 games as a Bruin,
while
Wheeler played for the B’s from 2008-11 recording 50-60=110
totals
over 221 games.. Winnipeg’s Zach Bogosian attended Cushing
Academy in
Ashburnham, MA from 2004-06…… Ron Hainsey played two
seasons at the
University of Massachusetts Lowell from 1999-2001 tallying
13-34=47
totals over 63 games.